CD 173 (Fall 2010) - Curriculum for Young Children: Math, Science, and Technology
Course Description
This course explores how to create and implement math and science curriculum for young children, with a special focus in the use of technology to support these curricular activities. We will examine the development of children’s mathematical, scientific, and technological thinking, and discuss how children grapple with curricular activities in these domains. The goal of this course is to build a foundation in curriculum for early childhood settings, gain experience in writing and implementing curriculum, and create a resource database for future teaching endeavors. Assessment strategies for children’s math, science, and technology learning will also be discussed.
Course Requirements
Readings (10%). Students are expected to review assigned readings prior to each class session and participate in discussions of the readings in class. All reading assignments will be available online or distributed in class.
Curricular Product Evaluation (10%). Students will choose one commercially available curricular product in math, in science, and in technology education (3 totoal) to evaluate. Students will share their reviews in class and summarize their comments in a brief report.
Mini Lesson Plans (25%). Students will work individually and in teams to create mini lesson plans in the math, science, and technology domains for a range of age groups. Each mini lesson plan must include a statement of goals and learning objectives and an assessment strategy. Mini lesson plans will be evaluated based on completion, quality, and feasibility. Students will take turn presenting their mini lesson plans in class; exact presentation requirements will be discussed in class. Students will draft six mini lesson plans throughout the semester.
Peer Reviews (5%). Students will review each other’s lesson plans and provide constructive comments for lesson authors. Lesson authors are expected to take peer review and instructor comments seriously in order to improve and revise their mini lesson plans. Peer review forms will be distributed prior to each lesson presentation.
Curriculum Database (10%). Students will revise and edit their mini lesson plans based on peer reviews and instructor comments. Students will submit their final lesson plans to the class curriculum database to share with others as a resource.
Blog Writing (10%). Students will contribute to an informal, weekly class blog on Everyday Math, Science, and Technology. Students will identify experiences in their everyday life that can be related to MS&T topics that are appropriate for the early childhood classroom, suggest curricular ideas and applications, and provide additional resources as necessary. An example of a blog post will be presented in class. Students will submit 10 brief blog posts over the semester.
Curriculum Proposal (30%). Students will develop a proposal for a week-long curriculum based on a theme chosen by the student and discussed with the instructor. The proposal will include a statement of goals and learning objectives, at least two sample lesson plans, sample extension activities, sample formative and summative assessment procedures, and a final curricular project appropriate for the chosen age group. Proposals will be evaluated based on completion, quality, feasibility, and integration of math, science, and technology. Instructions and details of the curriculum proposal project will be discussed in class.
Course Description
This course explores how to create and implement math and science curriculum for young children, with a special focus in the use of technology to support these curricular activities. We will examine the development of children’s mathematical, scientific, and technological thinking, and discuss how children grapple with curricular activities in these domains. The goal of this course is to build a foundation in curriculum for early childhood settings, gain experience in writing and implementing curriculum, and create a resource database for future teaching endeavors. Assessment strategies for children’s math, science, and technology learning will also be discussed.
Course Requirements